Thank you all for your encouragement and prayers. There is peace in my heart, unnerved by the news yesterday of additional 2 spots in liver and a few more in my lungs. I walk by faith and not by sight. Actually, I discover that this verse of 1 Corinthians 5 a very powerful scripture. :) I just stand on his promise to me just as how Abraham stood on the promise God gave him. He didn't have the resources and I don't quite know what the strategy to take. He was old and his wife barren while my medical report shows bad news. Quite a similar walk. :) I looked at the sky today to look for Him, a heart maybe? But I saw S Y hmmmm, the first person that came to my mind was Sook Yian. She is coughing and so I prayed for her to recover and prayed for the baby within her too. God is good. :) then I saw a smiley face just like the last time and then I saw a figure with an outstretched arm like an angel or a man. I prayed for angels to pave the way before us as Henry and I search for answers. I pondered how I can see stuff in the sky when I am desperate but not otherwise and the difference I felt was because I long so much to see Him, I wait longer compared as how we're always on the go when things are alright. So, do wait upon the Lord this morning and he will show u great things. :) He is really an encouraging Father.
Do pray for me this morning as I make my way to office to tell my boss that I have to stop work. Spoke to my mum and Henry yesterday and all felt it is a good move to make to recover. Pray also that God will open doors for Henry and I to learn more about the chemo drug that the doctor advised us to take (alinta or gemcitabin) and other alternative treatment.
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ReplyDeleteDo not be afraid, faith can sometimes be tested in mysterious ways. Nevertheless, my prayers goes out to you.
ReplyDeletePeople I know have found great peace, healing and miracles when they pray for the intercession of St. Peregrine, the cancer saint.
You may want to ask him to pray for your healing...saints have great connections up there.
Many of the prayers can be found at this URL...
http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/PEREGRIN.htm
O great St. Peregrine, you have been called "The Mighty", "The Wonder-Worker", because of the numerous miracles which you have obtained from God for those who have had recourse to you.
For so many years you bore in your own flesh this cancerous disease that destroys the very fibre of our being, and who had recourse to the source of all grace when the power of man could do no more. You were favoured with the vision of Jesus coming down from His Cross to heal your affliction. Ask of God and Our Lady, the cure of the sick whom we entrust to you, your Sister Liz.
Aided in this way by your powerful intercession, we dedicate to God, now and for all eternity, a song of gratitude for His great goodness and mercy.
Amen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPvAQxZsgpQ
Thank u pilgrim, my mum would appreciate u if she read this. I do wonder if heavenly hosts can pray for us coz of a verse in revelation 6 which says "how long o lord" as the matyrs talk to God. But even as I fix my eyes on Jesus I can still not follow His will and I learn now to surrender to Him, and yield to the holy spirit. Even if heavenly hosts can pray for us, n if I do n I get cured, I fear that my trust will move to the heavenly hosts rather than to Jesus. My prayer is that if heavenly hosts do pray that they will pray for me without me asking coz at present i just want to sit at Jesus' feet n be in His presence n allow the holy spirit to guide me as i yield to him.
ReplyDeleteU can help me pilgrim, answer based on scripture why u think we can pray to heavenly host. Thank u for praying for me.
Whether we are on earth or in heaven, we are all God’s people; we are all in communion because we are all in relationship with one God through Jesus Christ – hence, “one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Romans 12:5). Although many of us are still pilgrims on earth, “fighting the good fight of faith”, there are others who have died and are already rejoicing in heaven, being united with God, our Father.
ReplyDeleteOur journey on this earth is only but a fleeting phase in comparison to our destination; eternal life. Scripture gives us a glimpse of this from the many teachings of Jesus, who also insists that those of God’s people who have passed from this life are not dead. Why, Jesus even demonstrated to his disciples Peter, James and John that the “saints” of the Old Covenant are alive when He spoke with Moses and Elijah on the mountain of transfiguration (Mark 9:4).
I believe that Christians alive today are not alone in the struggle against the world, the flesh and of course, Satan. We are part of a greater and mighty army, spanning space and time, led by Jesus, our commander-in-chief; a communion that transcends time. Since the last 2,000+ years, Satan’s core strategy to defeat the church has always been to divide and isolate its members from one another.
The saints are witnesses (only witnesses) that the life of faith and Christian perfection is possible. And because we are all in communion, members of one body, we support one another by praying for each other. Prayer is the normal way for the saints on earth to support each other. As such, we should also be able to ask for prayers from the saints already united with the Lord. If the prayers of earthly living Christians seem to have special power because of their great faith, how much more powerful and effective are the prayers of those who are fully united to God in heaven? Though worship may be in the form of prayer, we must remember that not all prayer is worship.
Revelations often mentions the 24 elders – representing all the saints of heaven, gathered round God’s throne in praise. In Revelations 5:8, John mentions that these elders possessed, “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints”. Is this not a simple but beautiful image of intercession?
I can understand your concern that requesting for the intercession of the saints can sometimes lead to abuse – some Christians think that such practices can lead to idolatry; worshipping man instead of God. The book of Acts 14:8-18, in the case of Paul and Barnabas, sheds light that the saints themselves forbid anyone to offer them the worship they know is reserved only for God. St Augustine further enlightens, “…we venerate the martyrs with the same veneration of love and fellowship that we give to the holy men of God still with us…But the veneration strictly called “worship”…that is, the special homage belonging only to the divinity, is something we give and teach others to give to God alone.”
So, worry not, we honor the saints but we do not worship them. Just as we can ask our fellow Christians to pray for us, we can also humbly requests the saints in heaven to pray and intercede to God for us; they do have better “connections”. Worship is due to God alone as there is only “one mediator between God and men” (1 Timothy 2:5)
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ReplyDeleteThe saints teach us that to serve God meant to live simply. This simple life has been highlighted in the lives of various saints. The spirituality of the poor preached from the days of Jesus contradicts today with well-paid pastors, comfortable air-conditioned churches, theater-style seating, plush lighting and sound systems, entertainment tinged worship (not that any of these are bad); wouldn’t these distractions confuse the true reason that draws people to church? As you correctly pointed out, with all these externals, one fears that the trust of discipleship gets swayed away from the true good news of Jesus Christ.
Similarly, faith and salvation is more than just saying the “Sinner’s Prayer” once, it is a whole life responsiveness to the radical invitation of God. The man building his house on the rock is not just praying the sinner’s prayer, but is the one who, “listens to these words of Mine and acts on them” (Matthew 7:24)
Catholic theology is a body of rich teachings that goes back 2,000 years. If one says that
Catholic theology is incorrect, then one has to disagree with great minds like St Augustine, St Jerome, St Thomas Aquinas and many others. In the 2,000 year history of Christianity, there have been many ebbs and flows, and a variety of theological viewpoints. However, the foundation of the Catholic Church remains unchanged through all the winds of change. It is apt that Jesus said Peter was the rock on which He would build His Church (Matthew 16: 18-19) for a foundation made of rock best stands the test of time. The journey may be long but its fruits are beyond compare. Travelers and pilgrims have sought these fruits for 2,000 years. Wherever a traveler is in his or her journey on this earth, he or she can take solace in the fact that Jesus, His apostles and their successors will help lead the way, with the powerful intercession of all the saints…until we arrive at the heavenly kingdom.
Perhaps one should clarify all misconceptions about the Catholic Church from a Catholic source, not otherwise. Here’s a good place to begin discovering the beauty…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyhXtF7L3Ok&feature=related
In Revelations 6:10, the souls of the martyrs are preserved under the altar; they were slaughtered for God’s Word and for holding to the testimony. The shed blood of the martyrs gives the blessed special intercessory power. The cries of intercession do not mean that they are unhappy, for they are given a white robe to wear, a symbol of immortality (Revelations 6:11). With this, St John reminds us that we too must be ready for the ultimate sacrifice, should it be asked of us.
Our hope and the ultimate destination of our journey is heaven, to be in union with God. St Paul reminds us,…
“For if we live, we live for the Lord, 3 and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.” (Romans 14:8)
There is a general view that, through no particular fault, humans are sometimes weak, confused and perplexed by the enigmas of life. That’s why God, through Jesus, came to bring light, hope and love into the darkness and coldness of an apparently indifferent world. God has inspired great saints to achieve incredible feats of faithfulness, unselfishness, obedience and trust. As such, we too are capable of the ultimate perfection...in God.
This short comments may not do enough justice to clarify various concerns, but then, somewhere, someone once said, “…I now live by the belief that if something isn’t going to bother you on your death bed, then it shouldn’t bother you now.”
Would it bother you not to find out whether you have truly found The Truth?
May God Bless and Sustain You.
Hi, just want to share you about a lady in our church who also had a cancer and through prayers she is now healed. Treatment from cancer is costly but God provides for her. the bible says "Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your request to God and the peace of God which transcend all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" "cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you, He will never let the righteous fall" keep the faith on fire. I'll be praying for you
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